Sing of that Day
by Zana Charleson
Summary: A modern Yona AU in which Hak is a talented singer and Yona is pushing him into the spotlight.
1. A Chance

"When was the last time I steered you wrong Hak?" Yona smiled broadly her eyes gleaming with mischief and conviction.

"Well let's see" Hak started counting on his fingers, "There was when we snuck into an R rated film and got found out by the guards, there's that one time that you told me to tried my bike down the ditch and do a pro skateboarding trick, I _still_ have a scar from that.. There's also the time when…"

"HAK! THIS IS A GOOD IDEA!"

Hak smiled as the small red-headed girl clenched her fists and stared at him, determination written all over her face. He let out a small laugh, "Fine, I'll do it, but on one condition… if I get in you're my manager.

Yona looked at the floor a little and made small circles with her shoes. "Okay.." she trailed off caught in contemplation. Yona hadn't particularly wanted to be the one in charge of Hak, but if he would only do it with motivation from her, she was willing. "I'm a little young to be a manager don't you think?" Yona said as she looked at Hak, testing him a little so make sure he was sure on the topic.

"Yona, you were the one who signed me up for the audition, you could say that you owe me for even doing this crazy stunt."

"But you have a talent! I've never in my life heard someone with such a clear yet rough voice like yours Hak, it would be a shame if you only kept singing for the restaurant."

"If you haven't noticed, my singing for the restaurant is what brings in money for my family, me even taking the night off hurts our family's income."

"This is a small sacrifice for the greater good of all humanity and with all the new acts gaining popularity recently this could be your chance! You could be like Elvis, imagine it! 'Hak Son Live' in lights like all the big singers!"

"You know I'm more of a Marty Robins fan…"

"BUT YOUR VOICE IS MORE SUITED TO ROCK N' ROLL!"

Hak ruffled his hair with his hand tussling it a little more into its semi-unkempt style. Yona stared at him as he tried to avoid eye contact. He knew that her eyes could make him do summersaults through the halls if she asked him to.

The door clicked open as a lady in her mid-forties with perfectly pinned hair turned to Hak, "Are you number 45?" she asked, looking up, a slight gasp caught in her breath that broke her perfectly formal tone.

"Yeah." Hak replied simply.

To say that Hak was good looking was an understatement. His eyes were cobalt blue, intense and piercing, almost as if he could see right through you. His hair a perfect mixture of unkempt and neat and shiny from his hair gel. His clothes reflected the quintessential bad-boy image that reminded one of James Dean with his slick black leather jacket and white t-shirt coupled with well worked jeans. Hak was indeed, the whole package, and the lady bringing individuals into the room knew it. Her business tone quickly reflected all the girls in Hak's class… smitten.

Yona trailed a few feet behind Hak listening as observing, if he made it, she would have to step up as his manager and figure out the industry. The thought intrigued Yona to no end as her sheltered life with her parent posed no excitement, no glamor, and no challenges. Pushing her childhood friend into auditions proved just such an opportunity, for the road of glamor and excitement.

The plan was to sing the song "Rock And Roll Is Here to Stay" by Danny & the Juniors, a safe choice that both Yona and Hak had enjoyed in years past.

The three walked into the room as the door closed behind them, a microphone on a stand stood in the middle of the room with a small stage around it set for auditions. Hak quietly walked up to the microphone and did a quick check in the microphone that indicated a seasoned musician. He swung around his bass guitar he so often used at the restaurant and checked the bass and sound system, then looked up at the judges.

"My name is Hak Son, contestant 45 from Midland, Michigan and I will be singing "Hallelujah I Love Her So" by Ray Charles. Yona gasped a little from the corner of the room as she glared at Hak. He flashed an easy smile at the judges and finally a wink at Yona and began to strum. After a few notes he sung "Let me tell you 'bout a girl I know, she is my baby, and he she lives next door," His eyes held a mischievous gleam as he focused on Yona. "Every morning 'fore the sun comes up, She brings my coffee in my favorite cup," The song continued as Yona got more and more angry from the corner but as he began to reach the middle of the song, his tone dropped from the playful tone to slow down the tempo and a prolonged bass plucking as he crooned "in the evening when the sun goes down ,when there is nobody else around, She kisses me and she hold me tight…" then a pause almost like a breath, he broke his gaze at Yona, and then focused on impressing the judges and picked up the tempo for a fun and up-beat finish.

The judges scribbled occasional notes as the guide in the corner blushed almost as if he was singing it to her. One judge at the end of the row looked up at Hak from his notes, "You're dismissed Hak Son, the announcement will be out if you make it in at the end of the day so sit tight till then."

Hak flipped his bass around and gave a quick bow before exiting the small room with the attendant. She didn't say anything but her face was covered in a bright red blush. They walked in silence past contestant 46 who looked like he was about ready to be sick. When compared to Hak's composed nature it felt as though a mouse was after a lion.

"H…Hey girl!"

Yona ripped around toward contestant 46, "What?" she asked with a surprising amount of disgust. The boy started to gain confidence in himself the longer he stood in front of Yona. While contestant 46's height was considerably taller than Yona's he still seemed small compared to her confidence in Hak's ability.

"What is the judging like?" He asked, trying to be poised.

"Quiet." She replied sharply, her firm response came more from her anger with Hak than with the contestant calling her out but as she spent more time around the contestant, she began to feel as though her confidence was seeping out of her and into the boy in front of her.

"Hey is that any way to talk to another contestant?" He retorted.

"Well you don't seem the type to try to make it in this industry."

He looked down at his own attire, it was tailored and rich, his hair long and meticulously kept. He then turned to Yona, "It's not really the clothes that makes the man, it's the gift isn't it… besides if the producers don't put me through… my parents have funding more than capable of making them change their minds."

Yona began to shrink a little, his confidence was growing, almost as if picking a fight with people gave him energy. Hak watched from a few feet away as he finally stepped up to protect Yona. "How about you mind your own business." Hak responded.

The contestant's confidence reached a miraculous height as he turned from Yona to Hak, "What are you, a Knight protecting your princess? How sad! I'll win this completion and take that gem of a girl you have there for my own, I like her fire." Hak pressed his hand against Yona back, silently indicating that they should leave now. "Hey punk!" Hak ripped around to face the contestant, he shrunk a little but regained his composure, "My name is Tae –Jun Kan! Don't forget it, you'll see it on the board!" Hak turned back around as he pushed Yona forward quickly.

"He… Hey Hak! Don't you think you're pushing a _little_ hard." Yona whined.

"Were getting out to the holding area and out of that guys sight."

"Hak he just wanted to pick a fight, thats why he called me out and not you, don't worry about it."

"Oh I'm not worried about him, I'm more worried about how you feel and if he made you feel even the least bit uncomfortable he's got another thing coming." Hak stopped for a second and looked over at Yona who had stopped moving completely and looked at him with a concerned look. "I mean after all _I'm_ the only one allowed to pick fights with you!"

Yona's concerned face melted away as she punched him weakly in the side. "Your annoying- Soo-Won would never change personalities so fast."

"Heh, you're probably right," He replied which earned him a slightly firmer weak punch.

As Hak and Yona sat in the holding area other contestants were in various stages of panic and confidence. One group remained calm as they played old maid in the corner, others cried and the people who brought them patted their back reassuringly. Tae –Jun kept coming over and picking fights with Yona that became more and more flirtatious with each time he came over.

"Yona with the fire-red hair you sure do attract attention! Perfect for a top performer- maybe you should marry me?" Tae-Jun would taunt.

"Over my dead body" She whispered

Hak got up and put distance between Yona and Tae-Jun. Retreating back to Yona.

Yona sat on a single person chair as she looked back at Hak. He momentarily considered resuming his spot next to her on a separate chair but then thought better of it and stood in front of her.

"Scoot." He ordered and his hand gestured for her to move over and let him share the seat with her.

"Hak! You'll break the chair or maybe I'll fall off and my skirt will flip, do you really want that?"

Hak paused for a second, "Yes." Then he shoved his body next to Yona's. Her face flushed.

"HAK YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE BOAR!" She got up and went to the other side of the room where she asked to be dealt in with the card game kids. They hurriedly agreed and made space for her. Hak smiled a little to himself, his plan had worked and Tae-Jun looked longingly over at the girl. Yona, after settling with the other kids, turned toward Hak and stuck her tongue out to which Hak just laughed.

After an hour of waiting, the auditions were over and the list of those who passed on to the next round were at the top of the list in order of preference for moving on. Yona rushed up to the list but got pushed out of the way by the crowd. Hak laughed a little, "See princess, you have to wait till the crowd thins then look, you being the first to see it isn't going to change the outcome."

"Yeah but I'm so nervous for you! I need to know as soon as possible!" she retorted.

Hak just gave an easy smile.

As the crowd thinned Yona surged forward and looked at the list. Hak had topped the list with 1059 points, the second had a mere 942 points.

"HAK YOU GO TO THE NEXT ROUND!" She ran over and gave him a hug. He gently patted her back as he let out a small sigh.

Tae-Jun turned towards the two and the got up into Hak's face. "Look!" he gestured toward the list. "I pass on to the next round! I will take the record deal and this red-head too!" He grabbed a chunk of Yona's hair as Yona pulled away with all her strength. His eyes burned as she glared at Tae-Jun.

"I WILL _NEVER_ MARRY A COMPLETE FOOL LIKE YOU!" She grabbed Hak's hand and pulled him out to the parking lot towards Hak's beat-up pickup truck. Yona gave him another quick hug before jumping into the other side of the pickup truck.

Yona turned on her phone as messages popped up on the screen, a missed call from Soo-Won illuminated her screen as she quickly tapped the call button. Hak rolled his eyes as he pulled out of the parking lot, the breaks squeaked as he paused when turning out of the parking lot. He rolled forward as the streetlights flickered lightly over the road. He waited for the routine greeting to Soo-Won as he drove down the street thinking over the events of the evening.

"Hi Soo-Won! I missed your call what came up?" Yona chatted with a slight squeak in her voice, Hak had heard that squeak before, it was how her voice got when she talked to Soo-Won, he had come to hate that squeak… it belonged exclusively to Soo-Won.

"What!" Yona gasped. "NO! Father would never… there's no way…" Tears started streaming down her face. Something was wrong. Hak pulled over to the side of the road as he waited for Yona to calm down enough to explain the situation. Her breathing rasped and caught as if the words didn't want to come. Hak looked patiently at her as he waited.

"F—Fa—athe-r co-lap—s-sed a-a-nd-d h-es in th-e ho-s-p-it-al…" more sobs broke out of Yona as the color ran out of Hak's face.

"DAMMIT! That old man!" He stuck the keys in the ignition as the engine roared to life and pulsed forward. He pushed down hard on the gas as his car bellowed from the excessive force of the gas coursing through the machine. The drive home usually would have taken two hours but the trip home only took 45 minutes. Motivated by Yona's throaty sobs, he made it to the hospital and demanded to know were Yona's father was. The nurse looked at them and asked if they were family, to which he said Yona was his daughter and he was a close family friend. The nurse only let Yona through as Hak was forced to stay in the main waiting room. He looked at the light tan walls as colorless and abstract paintings that filled the room and felt trapped. His eyes darted around looking for Yona, any signs of her or her father, even Soo-won would be a sight for sore eyes as his anxiety grew.

After an hour he had had enough, he took off for the door he had seen Yona taken though. Muffled 'hey's and "stop right there"s echoed behind his as he frantically looked at name plates on doors hoping to see just one familiar name. Footsteps quickened behind him as he finally found the room and yanked the door open. In that moment Yona stood frozen looking at Soo-Won as the heart monitor in the room flat-lined with its piercing sound as Soo-Won looked at Yona with cold eyes, eyes Hak had never seen before. The rest felt like it was in slow motion.

Hak grabbed Yona's hand and pulled her out of the room as door after door came rushing past, avoiding the nurses and doctors who had caught up to Hak. Some people he slowed down enough to knock their feet out from under them, occasionally taking side doorways until he made it to the waiting room he had initially been held in. For good measure he pulled a chair out from the waiting room and blocked the door as they made their way out into the parking lot. The evening air bit against his skin as his adrenaline screamed with the pain of carrying another human for long periods of time at an accelerated pace. He fumbled with the keys as he made it to the car and pushed her in and ran around the other side. He shoved the keys into the ignition and forced the car backwards jarring the both of them backwards.

He sped out onto the road that appeared to be deserted, safe for driving at such extreme speeds. Hak momentarily looked over at Yona who at some point had fell asleep. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel that let out a cut-off honk.

"DAMMIT!" He yelled. He slammed his palm on the steering wheel letting out long honks.

Hak knew what had happened- the old man was dead… Yona was an orphan now and Soo-Won had something to do with it. He had no idea what he could do. Lights zoomed past, indicating that he was in a city. His eyes darted around as he spotted a Super 8 advertising 48 dollars a night. He slowed down and looked at his passenger, Yona was out cold, her cheeks red and patchy from all the crying. He sucked in a breath and pulled into the Super 8. He knew the faire would hurt him when he got home, but the priority was Yona at this point.

He brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and looked at her for an extended moment then picked her up and took her inside.

He set her on a chair in the lobby and paid the fee from the tips he had gotten from his job with Yona's father, picked her up and took her to the room. He laid her gently on the bed, and covered her up. He didn't dare change her clothes, he owed her father too much to defile his daughter after his death.

He wandered over to the window and pulled a small sliver of the blinds open and looked out over the expanse of the city. He let out a deep sigh, his troubles had just begun but in the meantime, he needed to sleep, and tomorrow, he would face the world.


	2. The Long Night

The room was completely silent as Hak was acutely aware that in the bed next to him was Yona. His mind ran with thoughts of the events the even had brought about. 1. He was a finalist in a singing competition… that was nationwide. Since he had won by a long shot, he and Yona had to get to Houston somehow… 2. Yona's father was dead, and Soo-Won had something to do with it. 3. He had to pay for the hotel for an indeterminate period of time… despite not having money to last him another day.

His thoughts spinned at a dizzying rate, combining and mixing in such a way that he wanted to shut his brain off and just sleep, but the reality was that he had to find a way to not only support himself but Yona.

Cars rumbled by on the highway as the sounds from the local bar across the street could be heard faintly. The low hum of the AC in the room made the room oddly mechanical sounding. He rolled over looking for a comfortable position as he saw Yona curled into a ball, her face red and ruddy from the crying the night had caused her. His face softened as he looked at her in the evening light. Even in such a distressed state she was still beautiful.

He looked at her perhaps too long, but her presence soothed his soul. He took in every inch of her just gazing. He long curly red hair that cascaded off to the side as she rested not quite on the pillow. Her eyes squeezed shut and mouth clenched as if fighting something. Layered in folds of sheets he followed the folds tracing them with his eyes. After countless repetitions of tracing sheet folds his eyes finally found peace enough to sleep.

Hak woke up first and rolled over to look at the clock which stated 4:42 am. He inwardly groaned looking at the clock but as he began to awake from his sleep the problems of the day ahead began to pile up. He looked over at his Bass and suddenly an idea came to him, while he had no money, he could make it through his music.

He picked up his case and wandered to the front desk where a tired old man sat by the computer monitor.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Hak began, as he rested his arms on the counter.

"Sure," the old man said slowly, "what is it?"

"Am I allowed to sit over there by the breakfast bar and play my bass? I need to get money so I can buy gas, were almost out."

The old man pondered a minute but finally looked at Hak,"young man, I would personally say yes but my manager has the final say on events such as this, we have a 'no soliciting' sign you know." Hak nodded as the old man paused thinking about what could be done. "Let me call the hotel manager and see what he thinks, I think it would be lovely to have some new music in the morning rather than the normal radio station, but I can't promise you anything."

The old man pulled the phone from the counter and started dialing. Hak waited anxiously as the old man explained the situation to the manager. There were some nods and "okay"s as well as the occasional "Yes sir". Finally the old man hung up.

"Your allowed on one condition," the old man paused, "The manager has to approve you and the music you play, so you need to sit tight till he gets here, luckily its early enough in the morning and the breakfast bar doesn't open till 5 so you have some time till the guests come down."

"I appreciate it!" Hak smiled, "Its been a hard day or so and we need that money to keep on traveling."

"Were you the one with the red haired girl who was asleep?" The old man asked.

"Yes, her father died yesterday and she has nowhere to go, so I'm taking care of her till we figure everything out." Hak began to fade off as the old man looked at him carefully.

"I'm really sorry about the tragedy." The old man said quietly. "It really is a pity when people leave too soon."

"Yeah." Hak looked at the ground as he thought about Yona upstairs, he had to keep it together… for Yona.

The manager came from down the hall with bed hair and some jeans with a Rolling Stones t-shirt. Hak looked at his apparel and judged him to be a fan of rock, but to play it safe he would ask.

Hak stepped forward and put his hand out for a firm handshake. He man yawned as he shook Hak's hand firmly. "I heard you can play and you wanted to see if you could get money for it," the man stated blatantly.

"Well, that's extremely direct but I guess…"

"Awesome, gutsy but I don't dislike that. Let's see if you can play." The man sat down on the couch for the vistors as Hak sat on the ground and pulled out his Bass guitar. He began to tune and then looked up at the manager.

"Is there anything you would prefer I play? I'm mostly good at cowboy ballads and early rock n' roll but I know other things as well."

"Smooth Criminal?" The manager asked, his eyes gleaming, Hak was beginning to think that the manager was a rather easy to please person.

"I suppose so…" Hak took his bass and began to strum. The manager looked positively thrilled. Hak took a deep breath and began with some plucking finally mustering a deep voice from within him he began singing. "As he came into the window, it was the sound of a crescendo, He came into her apartment…" Hak began to use his specialty, moving the tempo to allow for him to deepen his voice and flex the notes of his singing to parallel his bass. The manager hummed along and the old man from the reception desk had an amused smile.

By the time Hak had finished his miniature early morning rock concert the manager looked thoroughly awake and excited. "Hak, I'm so thrilled! Your voice is amazing! Are you able to do something a bit slower for the customers and take requests?"

"Absolutely, I work at… well… I used to work at a diner and played piano and sang… I took requests all night." The two looked at Hak with sympathetic eyes as he just ruffled his hair. "Any way, yeah I can take requests."

"Good!" The manager clapped. "You can start singing now if you want, Nikolai here has to open up the breakfast now anyway. You can set up anywhere you want, though I recommend the spot under the TV, There's a semicircle we leave there so people can see, it's no stage but I for one will enjoy listening to you."

"Thanks," Hak smiled, "I actually will be right back I need to leave a note for the girl I came with so she knows where I am."

"Sure." Nikolai smiled, "You can take your time, I mean, we didn't hire you or anything, you just play how long you want, the breakfast closes at 10 though."

"I appreciate it." Hak gave a short bow and headed up to his room.

After Hak opened the door he looked over at Yona who still appeared to be asleep, though instead of the silent pained sleep she had had all night, she appeared to be mumbling, mostly sound not words but it looked like someone was trying to hurt her in her dream.

Hak sat next to her bed as she clenched her fists. He grabbed her tiny hands and cupped them with his own, holding them for a few seconds. His touch appeared to have calmed her down as her face relaxed a bit and her hands loosened, slightly open. He knelt his head down close to her hands and brushed a light kiss over her knuckles. She shifted slightly as what appeared to be a light blush ran across her cheeks. Hak smiled a bit and then gently let go of her hands as he turned and scribbled a quick note, leaving it on the mirror.

He quietly left the room and headed downstairs.

The manager and Nikolai were waiting for Hak as he came down, a smirk on the manager's face. Suddenly Hak was a little concerned as he looked around. Finally he laid his eyes on it, a stage, or rather a miniature stage and a mini movable speaker to hook his Bass into. He looked over at the two.

"You really didn't have to."

"But you are so good! You deserve a stage, and since we occasionally have acts here, it only seemed right that we let you perform on a stage of your very own."

Hak smiled at the two, "Thank you, I really can't thank you enough."

"Don't sweat it! Just give us a good concert!"

"I will," he grinned and then set about placing the proper chords in place.

An elderly couple wandered in as Hak looked at the time 5:05, at this rate he might be able to play for a couple hours till Yona woke up. He began to strum a favorite of the bingo night at Yona's dad's restaurant "Magic Moments" by Perry Como.

The older couple smiled at each other and began to giggle slightly as he played on. He continued his concert of 1950s songs till the older couple started to leave. Before they left they dropped a 5 dollar bill into his case.

"Thank you for playing some of our favorites, it brought back memories." The older man smiled. The couple left the dining hall holding hands as they stood a little closer than before. It was moments like these that made Hak smile a little. He strummed a little impromptu beat as he thought about Yona. He frowned a little thinking about her and how he still didn't know exactly what had happened with Yona's or with Soo-won but suspected he would know eventually when Yona was ready to talk to him.

A young couple ran into the hall and started grabbing bagels and spreading butter on the bread quickly. A few small children came running down the hall and laughing. Hak was surprised people weren't coming out of their rooms to complain about the noise. He decided to change the songs he was playing from the oldies to more contemporary pieces as he decided to play a Weird Al rendition titled "White and Nerdy," the young couple giggled to themselves as Hak rhymed ridiculous phrases about white suburban culture to the couple and kids. The kids loved the tune and the couple the jokes, he received a pocket full of change from the kids who begged their parents for extra change to put in the case.

The morning went on, and some noticed and enjoyed his presence and others ignored it, a fact he was rather used to as a seasoned restaurant singer. Some people put in requests ranging from "Somebody that I Used to Know" to "America the Beautiful". Change began to pile up and the Manager sent occasional smiles to Hak, even requesting a few 80s songs. "Don't Stop Believing" was always a favorite among the guests regardless of if they were at the restaurant or at the Super 8 in the middle of nowhere.

Haks morning went by quickly till finally around 9:30 Yona appeared. By then the majority of the guests had left with the exception of two older men playing chess in the corner. As Yona walked in she looked different, her hair that had once been long was suddenly cut short into a homemade hairstyle resting crisply at her chin. Bits of hair hung below the major cut. It surprised Hak. He stopped his version of "Mr. Sandman to look at Yona. While she didn't look bad in her homemade heir cut, Hak wanted to immediately run to her side and ask her why, and if she slept well, as well as if she was feeling better. He held himself back as he watched her sit in the farthest chair, a forlorn look painted on her normally cheerful face.

Hak finished his song and began to play the song he was supposed to play at the audition, "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay". She had no reaction, she stared at the table and didn't move, Hak tried other songs to get a reaction out of her, anything, even if he made her mad. He played hard rock, he played Elvis, he even sung cowboy ballads but she simply sat, silent almost like a doll sitting on a shelf, blank, quiet, almost not present.

The men in the corner dropped a few cents in his case and thank him for the variety as he watched Yona. The manager followed his gaze and finally got up to ask Yona if she needed anything. As the clock struck 10:00 the manager and Nikolai packed up the breakfast bar, putting refrigerated items in special boxes and carrying away the fruits. Hak grabbed a couple muffins and orange juice from the two and sat across from Yona. She remained silent as Hak pushed a muffin toward her.

"You have to eat, you need to keep up your strength, were going to Houston remember?" She finally looked up at Hak as if vaguely remembering the activity she had pushed Hak to do in the first place.

She looked at the muffin, small and slightly dry, she unwrapped it and took small bites, chewing slowly, carefully. Hak sat across from her as he watched to make sure she ate every last bit of the muffin. When she finally finished she sat blankly again, looking into some unknown distance.

Hak reached over and brushed the crumbs carefully away from her face. It was almost as if he was caring for an infant, not knowing to even clean up their face after eating. She had no reaction, not even a slight blush she would normally give when Hak would touch her without permission.

He sighed and walked around, taking her by the hand and pulling her out of the chair. She stood there silently as Hak gathered his things, He looked at the change, he guessed it would be about 35 dollars, enough to either fill his tank with gas or fill it half way and buy lunch, stop to make more money, then travel on. He decided the second option would suit the best, rather having lunch and stopping than driving hungry.

Having decided his plan, he pulled Yona by the hand to the room as she said nothing.

He gathered their meager belongings and headed towards the car. Hak said goodbye to the manager and Nikolai for their kindness as the manager slipped a 20 into Hak's hand.

"For the road, you never know what you might need." The manager grinned and Hak thanked him profusely. He took Yona after saying goodbye to the car. Gradually Yona began to look around at the space around her and noticing the rooms as well as other items within the vicinity.

As Hak opened the car door for Yona she looked over at Hak, "Where are we?" she asked.

"Well, I'd say were about an hour away from Midland, were in one of the small towns."

"Ah," she whispered.

"Might want to get into the car Yona, we have a long way to go from here if we're going to Houston." Hak smiled weakly.

"Houston?" She queried.

"Yeah, you know, the finals for the Midwest are in three days." Hak replied.

"Right…" Yona trailed off. "Then I guess we should be going."

"Yeah…" Hak replied uncomfortably. He jogged around the car and sat in the driver's seat turning on the engine. He had a feeling that the ride for the new few miles would be very quiet. He turned on the car to a familiar engine rumble as he began to mess with the radio, finally settling on a rock station. He settled himself and then braced for the long and quiet road ahead.


	3. KFC Talks

"Three days to get to Houston, 20 hours of driving, hotels, food," Hak mumbled to himself as they drove down the mostly desolate roads. I-69 proved mostly cracked and old, showing its age. Corn fields lined the roads as cars dove by going much faster than Hak. He flipped between radio stations finding mostly fruitless stations, finally landing on a classic rock station playing "Aja" by Steely Dan that sounded more like waiting room music than the music played on a rock station.

The ride felt surreal to him as Yona, while awake, stared out the window quiet and unmoving. The cornfields, poor pavement, and obscure rock, along with the movement of the old truck felt more like they were moving through space and time rather than a cross country road trip. Small towns passed by occasionally as the sun followed them, reminding Hak of the time that so quickly followed them.

"Yona, were out of Michigan." Hak looked over at her. She said nothing, possibly thinking, or maybe just focusing on something else, corn fields did have a sort of hypnotic quality to them that somehow made you feel somber. Like your "just passin' through".

After waiting for a response he simply sighed and looked back out onto the road as the flat terrain seemed to reach out and greet them.

Finally they happened upon the much bigger town of Indianapolis, Hak decided he had, had enough of driving and needed food.

"Yona do you have a preference?" He asked as he looked over at her. She didn't say much, finally she shrugged a little as Hak caught a glance of a KFC near the entrance of the city. "Well, I guess were having KFC." Hak turned towards the building as he finally parked and walked around to let Yona out. She stepped out and then followed Hak as they wandered into the restaurant.

"It's a pity they don't have an A&W attached isn't it" Hak joked as he almost saw a smile curl up a little on Yona's lips. He took it as an internal victory as they stepped up and ordered a 10 dollar chicken bucket. While Hak wasn't particularly a man of many words, he decided to fill their lunch with talk starting in the much better chicken restaurants in Michigan that they got up north (Freeway Fritz) all the way down to what he would be singing in Houston.

"Hey Yona, you know, you could totally join me on stage and sing. You have a great voice and we could do a duet."

She finally looked up at him from her food, "Hak, I can't sing, you know that."

All the fusteration of the past night suddenly bubbled up inside of him, "Yona! I'm here because _you_ told me to sing. I think that people would love you! You sing so well yet never in front of an audience! Even your father wanted you to sing!"

"That's because I'm no good." She started to cry. Big, fat tears pooled at the corners of her eyes as she made ugly half hiccupping noises. She didn't even care at that point that they were in the middle of a KFC during the lunch rush, she didn't care that Hak meant good things from his words, she just wanted to go home and pretend the whole thing was a dream. Her father wasn't dead. Soo-won loved her. She just had to have a happy life with her friends and not worry. But somehow that was all gone.

Hak hastily tried to pull her into a hug as she pulled away.

People looked at the two as Hak tried to cover Yona. He wanted to keep her away from the world. Panicked he looked around and he finally picked her up from her crouched position and hastily exited the restaurant.

He juggled keys and Yona as he fumbled trying to get the key in the lock. Finally he managed to twist it just enough to get the lock to give. He slowly, carefully put Yona in the seat as he walked around the side and climbed in, slamming the door behind him. He promptly turned toward Yona.

"What the hell Yona?!" He yelled his anger and frustration begging to show itself. "Why?!" After the words jumped out of his mouth he instantly regretted it. Yona looked up at him and instead of crying more she looked at him intensely. Her violet eyes making contact with his. In that instant something snapped inside of her. Why was she like this, this was not her, and how dare he yell at her when he had never once yelled at her in the past, why now of all times?!

"Who are _you_ to talk to _me_ like that? I should be allowed to be sad you know?!"

"I know that!" Hak yelled. He pulled his hand through his hair as he looked at her.

"Then why?" She asked, her voice pleading with him.

"I makes me mad when you sell yourself short. You're more talented than you realize."

"No I'm not, why do you think Father never wanted me to sing on stage and had you do it instead?"

"Because I'm not you Yona, he wanted to protect you from all those people who come into his restaurant. He loved you so he kept you from preforming on stage."

"I honestly don't see the point? It's just singing."

"Its so much more than that, men are dirty and they will do and say terrible things to you, they have no regard for who you are as a person or all the talent you have, they just see you as a pretty face. He wanted to protect you from those terrible people."

"I still don't see it. I just think it was him saying you're a better singer, and he was right, you are a better singer than I am!"

"Don't even compare us Yona," Hak gritted his teeth a little, holding back his real thoughts, "you are far better than you realize, and that's the end of that."

Yona folded her arms and sunk into the seat as she grew quiet. She was mad but mostly at Hak, this small difference somehow made her feel a little bit courageous. She thought for a little bit as Hak finally calmed down enough to go back to eating the chicken he had carefully carried out with Yona. After some time, Yona finally broke the silence.

"Hey, if I'm such a great singer, how about we do a little wager, we sit on different sides of the street across from each other and see who earns more."

Hak looked over at her a little surprised and slightly suspicious. "Princess, there is no way that's fair, I can play my Bass but you don't know how to play any instruments and it would be just you singing, that's not a proper competition."

Yona paused, while he could be rude, his argument was sound.

"But we need to settle this once and for all, there's no way I'm letting you say I can sing when you've never heard me sing in a public area."

"Okay then, how about this. We each have 1 hour, you sing and I play for 1 hour, and I'll sing and play for one hour and whoever earns more wins? Sound fair?"

Yona was hesitant but reluctantly agreed. Hak knew however this was indeed unfair but if nothing else, his point would be made to Yona, she could sing, and she was about to prove it.


End file.
